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Top stories of 2013

Revisit the top local stories of 2013, from E. Gordon Gee's departure to Columbus City Schools' year under the microscope.

As usual, it was an eventful year. A Bishop Watterson High School teacher was fired after she
listed the name of her same-sex partner in a newspaper obituary for her mother. Road construction
eased a bit, as new pathways opened. Ohio Veterans Memorial learned that its days were
numbered. A battle erupted over the privacy of the records belonging to JobsOhio. And the Ohio
State football team ran its winning streak to 24 before a heartbreaking loss. Look back at the
stories of 2013 and let us know which you think is the big event of the year (stories compiled by
Dispatch librarians).

Columbus City Schools in the spotlight

The spotlight was on Columbus City Schools again in 2013.

Starting in January, state investigators reviewed an unusually high number of grade changes
within the district.

Mayor Michael B. Coleman formed the Columbus Education Commission -- a 25-member board of
business, city and school leaders -- who will study the district's operations and proposed
recommendations for district improvements.

In May, State Auditor Dave Yost sent his investigators and uniformed Columbus police officers
to 20 Columbus high schools to seize records for his investigation of school-data rigging.

A number of administrators linked to the the data-rigging scandal retired over the past year,
including: Steve Tankovich, Michael L. Dodds and assistant principal Stanley K. Pyles.

Superintendent Gene Harris also retired and was replaced by interim superintendent Dan Good
on July 1.

A pair of levies, Issues 50 and 51, intended to revitalize the district were soundly defeated
in November. It was the first loss for a Columbus City Schools levy in 23 years.

OSU football winning streak

Over the course of two years the Ohio State football Buckeyes built a record-setting 24-game
winning streak.

This year's Buckeye squad entered the team record books when they beat Indiana (42-14) to
establish a 23-game winning streak on Nov. 23, 2013. This streak surpassed the run established by
teams that won the 1968 national championship.

A tight win against Michigan (42-41) extended the streak to 24 games.

The winning streak ended with a disappointing loss to Michigan State (34-24) during the Big
10 Championship game on Dec. 7, 2013.

Carla Hale's firing

Bishop Watterson High School physical-education teacher Carla Hale was fired
in March after she listed the name of her same-sex partner in a newspaper obituary for her mother.

According to The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Hale, who worked at Bishop Watterson
High School in Clintonville for 19 years, violated a "morals clause" in her teaching contract which
requires abiding by the tenets of the Catholic Church. The church considers homosexual acts and any
sex outside marriage to be immoral and thus, grounds for dismissal.

Hale, whose teacher union declined to support her effort for reinstatement, received an
outpouring of support from students and the local community when a petition on change.org demanded
her reinstatement collected more than 125,000 signatures.

In August, Hale and the diocese reached a confidential settlement that did not include Hale’s
reinstatement.

Deadly Legionnaires' outbreak in Reynoldsburg

Six people died and 39 were made ill by an outbreak of the disease beginning in July at the
Wesley Ridge Retirement Community in Reynoldsburg.

The ill ranged in age from 63 to 99 years, and many had medical conditions that made them
vulnerable to infections from the bacteria. Everyone who died lived at Wesley Ridge.

An investigation led by Franklin County Public Health pinpointed the sources: a cooling tower
and potable water used for bathing, drinking and cooking. But investigators didn't determine any
definitive circumstances that allowed the bacteria, which are ubiquitous in the environment, to
flourish.

Veterans Memorial controversy

Franklin County Commissioners voted Dec. 3 to allow the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. to
demolish Veterans Memorial and build a glass-and-steel Ohio Veterans Memorial and Museum in its
place. The project is part of a larger CDDC plan to redevelop the Scioto Peninsula.

That includes a culture and education district on the west side of the Scioto River, anchored
by the COSI science museum, a new Veterans, and a Downtown Columbus Zoo and Aquarium attraction.
The county will contribute about $3 million to construction costs, and it will pay the estimated
$2.6 million to demolish Veterans and clear the site by March 2015.

The new Veterans would be built using $25 million donated by Limited Brands founder Leslie H.
Wexner and his wife, Abigail.

JobsOhio under scrutiny

In March, the feud over Auditor Dave Yost's authority to inspect the private finances of
JobsOhio, Gov. John Kasich's privatized economic-development agency, ended with Yost getting the
records he wanted. At the same time, JobsOhio announced it would repay the state the public money
it already had received -- at least $7.5 million.

In June, Kasich signed the bill that will keep the state auditor's eyeballs largely off of
JobsOhio's books. Senate Bill 67 will prohibit state Auditor Dave Yost from inspecting the state's
wholesale liquor profits funding JobsOhio. The current audit of 2012 will continue, but future
audits would be prohibited.

In November, after months of questions about possible improper conflicts of interest at
JobsOhio, Yost revealed he had found none in his state audit. The Republican auditor said there
were no conflicts by the decision-making staff of JobsOhio, the people who actually decide which
companies receive state incentives.

More ways to get around

New on-demand transportation options in Columbus' urban core debuted this year, including the
CoGo bike-sharing program and the Car2Go car-sharing program. Other new transportation options
include pedicabs, planned new bus routes and expanded amenities for cyclists, including extended
trails and bike lanes and Downtown lockers.

The CoGo program, launched in July with about 300 bikes, has its bikes stationed around
Downtown and in nearby neighborhoods such as German Village.

Car2Go started with about 50 cars at its launch in October. The service allows members to
rent Smart cars by the minute, hour or day. In November it expanded its service area by providing
45 spaces around the Ohio State campus. It was planning to expand to as many as 250 vehicles by the
end of the year.

The Short North and the Arena District have been the focus of the pedicab business.

Mayor Michael B. Coleman has said he wants Columbus to become "Bike City USA." More than $5
million in bike-friendly upgrades were made in the summer as the city installed bike lanes and
pavement markings and added shelters and racks.

Road construction progresses

For more than two years, the largest construction project in central Ohio snarled commuter
traffic, shutting off access points between highways and major Downtown arteries.

The final highway restrictions on a $200 million I-71/670 interchange project were lifted
Nov. 18, allowing traffic to flow unimpeded on northbound lanes through the interchange. Several
exit and entrance ramps also reopened.

Ohio Department of Transportation officials say the completed interchange will be safer and
see fewer traffic jams. The speed limit will be 55 mph.

Completing the highway changes on time and on budget is a milestone, but the project is
only the first of a six-phase, $1.1 billion plan to rebuild Downtown highways. Those phases will be
in planning and construction for years.